


chills run down my back, i'mma flirt with that

by cosim18



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Aromantic Cora Hale, Bisexual Lydia Martin, Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-10-31 22:29:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10908735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosim18/pseuds/cosim18
Summary: After Cora's statement about the teens only finding the bodies instead of saving people rattles Lydia, she enlists both the youngest Hale and Allison to train her. She wants to be strong enough to defend herself against not only supernatural creatures but also humans.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to have this first chapter look at how the events of 3x09-3x12 affect Lydia in order to set the stage for the rest of the story to come. Because of this, I use a lot of the dialogue and scenes from the actual episodes. The rest of this fic will take place after everything with the Darach/Jennifer Blake and the alpha pack, but before Cora and Derek leave at the end of 3x12, so the rest of the chapters will be original scenes/content instead of closely following the actual show.
> 
> Also, I personally headcanon Cora as being aromantic, and I will be incorporating that into the story later on, once she actually gets closer to Lydia.
> 
> I can be found at gaycoyotes.tumblr.com

“You’re just a bunch of stupid teenagers, running around, thinking that you can stop people from getting killed. But all you do is show up late. _All you really do is find the bodies_ ,” Cora said, bloody paper towels still in hand, voice shaking ever so slightly. She put off an energy of anger, bitterness, but Lydia knew all too well what the tone of her voice really meant. She was hurt, feeling hopeless and scared at the situation she came back to her hometown for. Cora sauntered off, with Stiles following after to make sure she got back to Derek’s loft safely.

“Hey, you okay?” Scott asked Lydia, noticing the way she was holding herself. She had her arms crossed, one of which was rubbing her neck like she does when she’s thinking.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little rattled,” she replied, not meeting Scott’s eyes. “I better get back to class” With that she turned heel, marching out of the locker room.

She was on her way to her locker, rather than class, given that she left her bag behind when she took Aiden to Coach’s office for their brief makeout session. Suddenly she heard the sound of whispers floating through the air, a chill spreading down her spine. Before she had time to process what she was feeling, a piece of chalk rolled on the tile floor, bumping into her shoe. Perplexed, she bent down to pick it up, feeling drawn to the empty classroom she was passing by. Without thinking, she used the chalk she’d just picked up to draw a ‘2’ on the board before releasing an overwhelming energy that had taken over her in the form of a scream. Within seconds students flooded into the halls, with Ms. Blake leading a few fellow teachers with her to see what happened.

“I don’t get why no one’s calling the police,” she said, heart racing fast enough to concern Aiden, who was standing with her. As Ms. Blake explained that there was no actual evidence of Mr. Westover being in danger, she couldn’t help but feel her anxiety over the situation increase. She knew something was wrong, but she had no way of explaining how or why to the school officials. Exasperated, she tried for her new fallback explanation of being psychic. As ridiculous as Stiles’s theory on that sounded, it was the only possibility that held any ground. When Ms. Blake repeated the statement with incredulity lacing her voice, Lydia felt like she was going to break down. Instead, she held her ground.

“I’m something!” She yelled exasperatedly. She could sense everyone’s eyes on her, wondering if she never truly recovered from when she ran in the woods naked a year ago. She saw Scott in the crowd of students and knew she had to do something.

Gradually the crowd dispersed, and Ms. Blake suggested Lydia take the rest of the day off and go home, get some rest. She numbly nodded, not fully listening, but eventually made her way to her locker to collect her purse. Aiden had followed her out, but she assured him that she was fine and asked him to leave her alone until she texted him. She was surprised when he backed off, clearly willing to give her space.

When she was finally alone, Lydia checked her phone for the time, seeing that there was still another hour before the recital was supposed to start. She didn’t want to go home, knowing that something still wasn’t right here at the school. She started to text Scott to meet her, needing to talk to someone but knew that he was trying to improve this year and he needed to stay in class. Of course, if she said anything to Scott he’d leave class in an instant to help her, but there really wasn’t anything that she could do anyway. Stiles was busy making sure Cora was okay and was going to attempt to explain the supernatural to his dad, which Lydia knew needed its own attention. Aiden was out of the question as a confidant seeing as he is still part of the alpha pack, and Allison was chasing leads with Isaac and her father. Sighing in defeat, Lydia resigned to wait in her car, sketching in her notebook to pass the time.

The distant sound of musical instruments warming up shook Lydia out of her daze. She looked down at her notebook, finding a single drawing of her favorite tree, grooves digging into the paper where she’d gone over the lines over and over again. She shook her head, as if to physically clear her mind, and practically jumped out of the car when she noticed the crowds of people filing into the building. The sky had grown dark, clouds sweeping over the horizon ominously, and Lydia tried to not focus on the dread that filled her.

Making her way to the gym, she noticed Aiden taking a seat next to Ethan and tried to focus on the problem at hand instead of boy troubles. Scott was standing towards the back and surveyed the scene in front of him. His eyes widened a little as he noticed Lydia standing there.

“I thought you were going home,” he said, his focus diverting completely to her. She looked troubled but he thought it might just be because of the day’s events so far. Seeing her boyfriend attack someone else would have been stressful enough, not to mention the strangeness of what happened when she screamed earlier. The response she gave was even more unexpected.

“I can’t. I don’t know why I am the one that keeps finding the bodies. But maybe... if I just stop trying to fight it I’d find them before it happens.” Her voice was low, like she wasn’t sure of the words she was speaking. “Maybe with enough time for someone like you to do something about it.” Her breath hitched in her chest as she realized the implication of what she’d said.

“You get me the time, I’ll do something about it. I swear to God I will,” Scott replied earnestly. Lydia nodded slightly, taking his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. There weren’t words for the love she had for Scott, complete faith that he would uphold that promise no matter what. In the past few years of becoming friends with him, she’d only seen good things - loyalty, strength, hope - and she wanted to embody those qualities just as much as he did.

The pair stood at the back of the auditorium, waiting for something to happen. Anybody who had any knowledge of the supernatural was on edge, from the werewolves like Scott and the twins to Ms. Morrell and Danny. Something was going to happen and Lydia prayed she would be able to help prevent it. Everything was going smoothly with the recital itself, and when Aiden texted her to meet him, Lydia didn’t have any worries. She warily headed in the direction of the classrooms, slowing down when she neared Ms. Blake’s room. Nothing seemed awry but she again felt dread wash over her as she cautiously stepped into the room. A strange chant could be heard, but she couldn’t place the words or origin. Before she had time to process, Ms. Blake stepped out of the shadows.

“You recognize it, don’t you?” She asked. Before Lydia could answer, she felt pain blossom in her temple before blacking out.

As she came to, the chanting seemed to get louder, and Lydia raised a shaking hand to her head, gingerly pressing her fingers to where she felt a throbbing pain, crying out when she felt the blood. Her hand continued to shake as she lowered the hand, looking at the crimson fluid like it was alien. In front of her, she saw Ms. Blake crouched down, wrapping slim black rope around something. Her vision was blurry, only occasionally focusing on the face in front of hers.

“What are you doing?” She muttered. Tears streamed down her face and she felt like the body she was in was foreign, not responding when she tried to move.

“What’s necessary. I’m still surprised none of you seem to get that,” Ms. Blake started. “You call them sacrifices. But you’re not understanding the word. It’s derived from the Latin sacrificium. An offering to a deity, a sacred rite. A necessary evil.”

Lydia’s brows knit together as she tried to tune out the voice that was speaking. She knew Latin, knew the etymology of the word, that wasn’t her concern. It still hadn’t fully hit her yet that Ms. Blake was the one behind all of the murders. She wasn’t aware that the plead for it to stop was out loud until the teacher responded.

“Oh, I wish I could. But you don’t know the alphas like I do.”

“Please, stop,” Lydia muttered, knowing she had no way to prevent what was about to happen. She felt a twinge of anger that she hadn’t been able to figure out that she was predicting her own death all day.

“But you, Lydia,” Ms. Blake began again, not paying attention to what Lydia was saying. “You’re not a sacrifice. You’re just a girl who knows too much. Actually, a girl who _knew_ too much,” she corrected, smiling.

Lydia was aware of what was coming, and as she reached up to stop the garrote from reaching her throat she distantly heard Ms. Blake scold her for trying to prevent it. Not even thinking, she let out a scream, more powerful and draining than any before. All sounds around them suddenly died out, the scream and rushing out in waves, piercing the air. Her hand fell from the garrote limply, head sagging back slightly and whimpering as her energy washed out of her. Ms. Blake could have easily finished the job then, but something made her pause, circling back around to face Lydia.

“Unbelievable. You have no idea what you are, do you?” She asked. Lydia had no response, and even if she did she wouldn’t have been able to get it out. She felt weak, like she could just wither up without Ms. Blake even having to kill her. She looked up at her would-be killer in confusion, tremors running through her body in fear. “The wailing woman. A banshee right before my eyes. You’re just like me, Lydia. Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it. It’s too bad, though. And too late.” She went back behind Lydia, taping her hand down to prevent it from catching the garrote again.

She needn’t have, though, because she was still too expended from the scream to move, save for leaning forward as her self-preservation kicked in and she weakly tried to flee. Lydia’s hands started to shake in earnest, her feet trying to find purchase on the floor to no avail. The garrote tightened around her neck once more, and she felt the cool touch of a knife against her throat.

“One last philosopher,” Ms. Blake muttered, leaning back slightly as she closed her eyes, listening to the intensity of the chant that preceded the killings. Just as Lydia thought she was done for, she heard the familiar sound of Stiles’s dad’s voice.

“Drop it!” The Sheriff yelled, his gun aimed directly at Ms. Blake.

The knife left Lydia’s throat and she gasped air in, able to breathe fully again. She opened her eyes, and they widened as she saw the knife hit its new target. The gun dropped to the floor, but before Ms. Blake could return to Lydia, Scott bounded into the room, fully shifted, and charged. Lydia couldn’t do anything but watch as he unsuccessfully tried to strike Ms. Blake, gasping as he was thrown back. Stiles was next, but thankfully all Ms. Blake did was push the desk against the door, preventing him from entering the room.

As quickly as everything began, it was over. Ms. Blake had walked over to the Sheriff, talking too quietly for Lydia to hear them, and suddenly they were gone. Somehow she had shifted, into the Darach apparently, and taken Stiles’s dad with her as a Guardian in her sacrifices. Stiles finally got around the door, his only concern at that second his father. He stood there looking lost, staring at the shattered window before Scott ambled over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Lydia could tell he was trying not to cry. He took a deep breath, leaning his head back as he ran a hand down his face. She couldn’t help but think he looked exactly like his dad in that moment.

The boys walked over to Lydia, who was still shaking slightly and removed the duct tape that was binding her hands to the chair. She stood and none of them knew what to say before Stiles started to break the silence.

“Um, we should, uh...” his voice trailing off. He’d always been the one with the plan but faced with the terror and anger at his father being taken away left him uncertain.

“You need to get to Derek,” Lydia cut in. Her voice shook but retained its usual strength. “He’s been seeing Ms. Blake, right? So you two should go there, see if you can stop her.”

“Well, what about you?” Scott asked incredulously. “We’re not leaving you alone,” he said softly.

“I’ll be fine. I wasn’t a sacrifice, so I doubt she’ll take the time to come back after me. Getting Stiles’s dad back is more important.” She looked at Stiles for the first time since it happened, not sure what to say. She knew it would be foolish to tell him everything would be fine, especially since the dread hadn’t left her even though the danger was gone.

“She’s right,” Scott said, putting his hand on Stiles’s shoulder for support. “Derek will believe us, he’ll help us get your dad back. C’mon.” He started to lead him away, only stopping to give Lydia a grateful smile. The two left and Lydia knew they would let her know if they needed help.

Lydia stood there in the classroom for a minute more, trying to calm herself down and gauge what might happen next. She knew there were more important matters for the rest of the pack to attend to, so she resigned herself to calling her mom and heading home. She felt fine, so she doubted she needed to go to the hospital, but she needed to let her mom know that she was okay. Word would have certainly gotten out about the death during the recital.

Explaining her disheveled appearance and the bruise on her neck was difficult, but Lydia was able to convince her mom that she didn’t need the hospital. She could breathe fine and her voice wasn’t any different. She was honest about the fact that Ms. Blake was the one who did it, and sold it as her being some sort of serial killer who targeted high schools. After all, the boy from her own high school was found on the tree by the cross country team, and Stiles’s childhood friend was found shortly after that.

Once she was convinced, she, of course, wanted to pamper Lydia, sitting her down in front of the vanity. Natalie had always shared a bond with Lydia when it came to boys and fashion and makeup, so she played off her ease around the bruise by equating it to hickeys she’d gotten in high school. Her concern rose, however, when Lydia stopped her from continuing with applying the makeup.

“If you don’t want to go to school, honey, you don’t have to.” She bit back saying that if she didn’t go to school she’d be going to the hospital, or at least the police station to report what had happened.

“It’s not that. It’s just... someone tried to strangle me. And I survived. I don’t need to hide that.” It took a second for Natalie to realize that her little girl really was growing up. When she was recovering from the attack at prom in her sophomore year, Lydia never showed this strength or resilience. She wanted to brush past what had happened and pretend that things were fine, even though both women knew that wasn’t the case. This time, Lydia took her mom by complete surprise. She couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride and admiration that Lydia wasn’t shying away from her strength.

“No. No, you don’t,” she responded, putting an arm around Lydia in a half-hug and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “But we’re still gonna do your hair, right?” She asked, wanting to regain her motherly footing.

“Of course we are doing my hair,” her daughter said, smiling. Natalie couldn’t help but think that she hadn’t seen Lydia smile that brightly and honestly in years.

After finishing braiding her hair, she got up to leave for work. She made sure that Lydia promised to call her if she wanted to come home early if the stress of going back to the place where she was attacked was too much. As she opened the door, she caught Stiles mid-knock and he gave a half smile, concealing something underneath it.

“Hey, Ms. Martin. Is Lydia still here?” he asked innocently.

“Yes, seeing as the two of you arranged to drive to school together,” she responded slowly. “She said you insisted on driving her because you were worried after what happened last night.”

“That’s right, I figured it’d be safer if she didn’t use her car for a few days since Ms. Blake knows what Lydia drives.” Natalie gave him a slight side-eye, not sure if she wanted to buy into it. But she was glad that someone was here for Lydia, even if it couldn’t be herself. She turned back towards Lydia’s room and called out.

“Lydia, honey, your friend is here. Don’t forget, call me if anything is wrong!” She turned back toward Stiles and gave him a smile. “Take care of her, yeah?”

Stiles nodded before ducking into the house, waving at Ms. Martin as she walked away. He went towards Lydia’s room, knowing where it was from the handful of times he’d been here before, and saw her sitting in a chair across the room. He took off his backpack and sighed as he realized he didn’t need to keep up the act of everything being okay. His dad was still missing, and Scott was gone, and he told Lydia as much.

“I don’t believe it,” she said with conviction. “Scott can’t really be with them. He can’t be.”

“You didn’t see the look on his face, though. It was...” he couldn’t even get the words out, instead shaking his head. Once upon a time, he would have as much faith in Scott as Lydia did, but things change when desperate times arrive. He let his head hang between his shoulders, too tired and grief-stricken to expend the energy to hold it up.

“Then what can I do? I mean, I get that I’m some kind of, like, human geiger counter for death. But... I don’t know how to turn it on and off yet. All I know is that she tried to kill me because of...” when she stopped talking, Stiles flicked his eyes back up to her face in hope.

“Because of what? Hey, Lydia, what?” He asked cautiously.

“When she called me a banshee, she was surprised by it. What if that’s not why she tried to kill me?”

“Then why did she?”

“That’s what we need to find out.” Before he had time to formulate a response, she jumped up, grabbing her bag and heading out the door. “Coming?” She asked, but the sarcastic tone felt too forced, like she was trying hard to keep calm.

They made their way to school, not talking, just listening to the sounds of the radio. Stress was eating them up, more so than ever before. Without Scott, they both felt a twinge of hopelessness but knew they needed to soldier on regardless of the obstacles in their way. To top it all off, Allison’s dad had been taken last night, which meant that the Darach had her trio of Guardian figures. Stiles’s panic attack was rough, and if he was willing to admit it, a long time coming. He barely staved off having one the night before, distracted by needing to make sure Lydia was safe and everything that had gone down at the hospital. Having Cora literally die for a few minutes before he was able to bring her back with CPR forced him to focus, not lose his grip on what was happening.

Lydia led Stiles to the locker room, knowing they would have the privacy that would allow Stiles to hopefully calm down. Not hearing the crash of footsteps or the banging of locker doors in the hallway was a reprieve, but Lydia could tell that things were getting worse. She tried to get him to focus on her face, not think about anything else, but it wasn’t until she grabbed his face, pulling him in for a kiss that he slowed down. He stared in awe at her, not sure what to say, but his breathing and heart rate appeared to have returned to a more normal pace. She smiled half-heartedly when he asked why she did that, knowing how big of a crush he’d had on her for as long as they’d known each other. Lydia explained it away as having read somewhere that holding your breath can stop a panic attack, which was true, and evidently worked. One would think that kissing a new person for the first time would leave some emotional impact, but both parties involved were too preoccupied with the current issues to remain focused on it.

With Stiles’s head clear, they were able to piece together more information and discovered that the tree Lydia had been drawing was, in fact, the Nemeton. With the dilemma of Agent McCall finding Stiles, Lydia followed his direction and headed to Derek’s loft. When she got there, she was too stunned to know what to say.

Based on previous events of the year, Lydia knew that Peter was back. Peter Hale, who attacked her the night of her prom. Peter, who mentally tormented Lydia during the second half of sophomore year, enough to make everyone around her think that she’d gone insane. Peter, who made her doubt her own mind, was standing in Derek’s doorway and Lydia realized that she hadn’t seen that smug face since the night she resurrected him. Thankfully, the awkwardness of the situation was lessened considerably with Derek’s presence once she entered the loft.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think it through. Someone should have told you,” Derek told Lydia after pulling her aside. He felt guilty at the fact that she’d been through so much with Peter, but he still remembered being dragged by the teen on that fateful night.

“Don’t be, I’m not that fragile,” Lydia muttered in response. “Besides, I need the both of you to help. You’re both Hales, after all.” She didn’t give him a chance to respond before returning to the main area.

“What can we help you with today?” Peter drawled out, trying to keep his snark to a minimum. He could tell that she was still uncomfortable around him, and so he decided to try to be more open.

“I need to know where the root cellar is. You’ve both been there before, from what Stiles tells me. It’s where Jennifer’s keeping the parents.” Her voice was clipped, whether out of anger or an attempt to not cry it wasn’t clear. Lydia couldn’t help but feel like the closer they got to actually figuring things out, the farther from saving the Guardian sacrifices they were.

“We don’t know,” was the only response Peter gave, but he looked like he was holding something back.

“You don’t know where it is? But Stiles said you’ve been there.

"We have. But after a few memorable experiences there, Talia - Derek's mother's and my oldest sister - decided that she didn't ever want us going back. She knew how dangerous it was and took the memory of its location from us."

"But then how are we supposed to find it?" Lydia asked rhetorically.

A few hours later and the pack stood in the animal clinic. Lydia was pacing while Stiles and Allison leaned over the medical table, anxiety written all over their faces. Deaton proposed a plan to use Stiles, Allison, and Scott as surrogate sacrifices in order to find the Nemeton, and nobody had a better idea. They all knew the risks, but only three of them were risking death in the ice baths. Lydia felt apprehensive about the entire situation, especially considering that she was to be Stiles's guide back. It made sense - Isaac was most connected to Allison, and Deaton was connected to Scott, which left Lydia with Stiles. Her hesitancy was simply in the fact that they weren't as connected as the others, and as such, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to pull him back if necessary. They hadn't even talked since the kiss, since finding out about the Nemeton being in her sketches, but she gave him a reassuring smile all the same. She knew he needed to know someone believed in him and try everything possible to help him come out of this alive. Then they went under.

The next few hours went by fitfully, Lydia pacing around the room, Isaac leaning back against the wall, and Deaton occasionally trying to reassure the two of them that everything would be fine. He wasn't usually one to make such claims, which unnerved Lydia more than anything else. She trusted him, but she also worried about the fact that he felt the need to try to calm them down. 

Time crept by, and after another two hours, Deaton suggested the teens attempt to catch some sleep. If the others were going to wake up, they needed to be rested enough to take action when necessary. He said they could probably return home, but both Lydia and Isaac immediately rejected the idea, saying they needed to stay at the clinic. Deaton knew it was useless to fight them on the issue, and so he went back to his office. Issac pulled off his jacket and offered it to Lydia, and she gratefully took it, curling up on one of the tables to nap. By the time she woke up, Isaac was the one pacing around the room. None of the three submerged in the baths stirred or showed any signs of life, but Deaton hadn't given up yet and so Lydia remained faithful. After a while, she sat down in the corner, not sure what to do.

Suddenly the sound of sloshing water and gasps of air filled the room, and Lydia jerked her head up, realizing she'd fallen asleep again. She stood, approaching her friends slowly, as they climbed out of their baths. Isaac and Deaton rushed into the room as well, staring open-mouthed at them. They said they discovered where the Nemeton was, but none of them seemed to understand the situation they were in. When Stiles asked how long they were out, Lydia couldn't bring herself to meet any of their eyes.

"Sixteen hours," Deaton managed. "The full moon rises in less than four." His face was grave, and Scott's face fell.

They began to discuss the options in front of them. Scott wanted to return to the alpha pack, believing that Deucalion would hold true to his word and help him get his mother back, while everyone else tried to persuade him to not go. Allison and Isaac were sitting on a table, and she turned to Deaton to try and talk Scott out of it, but Lydia knew Scott would stay true to his deal and not risk giving up the chance to save his mom. Before anything could be decided, though, before the front door to the clinic creaked open.

When everyone filed out to the reception area, nobody was more surprised than Lydia to find Ethan there. He pleaded with Lydia for her help in stopping Aiden and Kali from killing Derek, and Lydia begrudgingly knew she needed to go with him. What she didn't expect was for Cora and Peter to agree that Derek needed to leave before the eclipse. Cora of all people surprised Lydia, seeing as she was the one who attacked an alpha in the public space of school, and Lydia expected that she would have rather fought for Derek.

"If you want to fight and die for something, that's fine with me. But do it for something meaningful," she argued as her reasoning. Knowing that wouldn't sway Derek, Peter turned his gaze to Lydia. 

"You feel something, don't you?" He asked. She wasn't sure if she would even answer him, but then Derek stepped in, asking what she felt. He was the one in the room she cared most about, knowing everything he's been through that has only made him stronger and a better person.

"I feel like... I'm standing in a graveyard." She paled at the realization, never being able to pin a feeling down that specifically. Her honesty and fear made Derek realize everyone else was right, that he needed to leave and stand to fight another day.

It was decided that Lydia and Ethan would stay, so as to distract Kali from her original goal. Ethan argued that Aiden wouldn't be willing to let Kali actually attack Lydia, and while she didn't want to trust that faith, she knew she had to. The others were busy finding the root cellar and there was nobody else to stand in Kali's way, or at least that's what she thought. Just as she began to worry about staying, Jennifer crashed in through the ceiling.

The fight between the alphas and Jennifer was quick and terrifying for Lydia, if for no other reason than because she hadn't seen Kali defeated before then. The speed at which she finished the twins off, snapping their merged neck, frightened Lydia more than anything else. She began to hyperventilate, only calming down enough to ask what Jennifer wanted, why she wasn't dead yet.

"I want you to do what you do best, Lydia. I want you to scream." And with no other pretense, Jennifer revealed her scarred and mutilated face. Even if Lydia hadn't been willing to scream on command, the sight elicited an automatic response. Not ten minutes later and Derek and Cora were back, having heard the banshee.

While Derek discussed what Jennifer wanted away from them, Cora comforted Lydia, holding her close and rubbing a hand along her arm. When Jennifer told Derek that she needed his help in order to get Deucalion, and that with him she didn't need the parents anymore, Cora knew it was a lost cause. She knew her brother would do everything in his power to help Scott, especially when it was as simple as a trade as Jennifer was proposing. Just as quickly as she'd arrived, Jennifer left, with Derek in tow. The girls left behind were frozen at his decision, knowing there wasn't anything they could've done to convince him otherwise, but not sure where to go from there.

"We have to get going. Lydia, we can get help," Cora tried, pulling Lydia up.

"From who?"

"I don't know, but we can't stay here." Cora wouldn't admit it to Lydia, but she didn't want to stay with the deceased alphas. She didn't know how long Lydia had been forced to stay with them while they waited, and she wasn't going to ask. Just as they were leaving, though, they heard the distinct sound of the twins separating and spun around in a mixture of hope and fear.

After bringing the twins to Deaton's, the next few hours were filled with waiting. They had no idea of how anything else was going, but they kept hope that Scott and the others would be able to pull through in time. They took to pacing around the clinic, too restless to sit or sleep, and the time passed even slower than before. Eventually, the twins began to stir, not much but enough to show that they were alive and would likely pull through. Lydia went over to Aiden and held his hand, smiling when she felt him grip hers back, squeezing to show he was there. About an hour later and Deaton came back in, smiling.

"Scott just called, he said the parents are all okay and that Deucalion has been taken care of. It's over," he said, the last part mostly to himself. Everyone smiled, to different degrees, and Cora pulled Lydia over to the other side of the room for a more private talk.

"Hey, I just wanted to apologize. Which, as you can probably tell, isn't exactly the easiest thing for me to do. But I shouldn't have said what I did the other day, about you only finding the bodies. I know you might feel like death surrounds you, that you can't  _help_ finding the bodies, and that's probably true. But it's not because you don't get there in time or because you aren't trying. It's in your nature, as a banshee, and even if it weren't I know it's not your fault." She lowered her head as she tried not to meet Lydia's eyes.

"That was your version of an apology?" Lydia joked, but it came out wrong. "I know what you mean, and you're not wrong. I don't even know what being a banshee means, hadn't heard of real-life banshees until the other day. Coincidentally the same day you said what you did. But your apology is accepted, I'm fine."

"Good to know," Cora said awkwardly. "I guess I'll go see if they need my help," she said, motioning towards the twins. She turned, starting to head back over to the tables when Lydia grabbed her arm.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me. I've been thinking about this for a while, and I want to learn how to fight. When Jennifer had me, at the school and at your brother's loft, I felt helpless, like I couldn't do anything but scream and wait for someone to save me. I don't want to feel like that anymore. I want to be my own savior. I know, it's silly, and you can totally say no." She dropped her hand from Cora's arm, not sure how to proceed.

"I think that's a good idea, actually. Everyone should know how to fight, especially us girls," she said with a smile. "I'd be happy to train you." She pulled Lydia into a hug, but they both felt a bit uncomfortable at the sentiment, so she dropped her arms and pat Lydia's shoulders. "Just let me know when you're ready," she said before returning to help the twins.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training begins between the three girls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really didn't know how to write a training scene past the intro part, so I apologize for that. I hope you all still enjoy!!

“What is  _she_ doing here?” Cora asked, her brows scrunched up in distaste.

“What’s he doing here?” Lydia bit back. She wasn’t completely averse to having Derek there, considering how protective he had become with her. She sort of saw him as a distant older brother at this point.

“It  _is_ his loft,” Cora said as she turned from the door, leaving it open for the two to come in. She strode to the center of the room, and Lydia couldn’t help but notice that there was a light sheen of sweat on Cora’s skin, indicating she’d already warmed up before the arrival of her trainees.

“I see you tidied up,” Allison spoke for the first time. It was hard to read her expression, but she had promised Lydia that she’d accompany her, and she wasn’t going to back out of that promise. They’d been through enough that they didn’t like to do anything important alone.

“I didn’t exactly want you getting sweat all over my furniture, so it’s been moved to the other room so that you can have the entire floor to train.” He turned toward Cora and spoke softly so that the other two couldn’t hear him. “Don’t go easy on them,” he warned before smiling at all three girls and giving a little wave as he left.

“I’ll be back for dinner, so be finished by then, please,” he called out as he closed the door.

Cora turned back toward Allison and Lydia and stared at them for a moment, crossing her arms.

“Let’s see what you’ve got.” She didn’t move, and only looked at Lydia.

“What, like right now? No warm-up or anything?” She asked, whipping her head around to look at Allison, who shrugged in response.

“This is your show,” she said, trying to hold back a smirk as she thought of the way her own training had begun.

“You’re next, sweetheart ,” Cora said to Allison, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Just because you’ve trained with the hunters doesn’t mean you know everything. You come to train with Lydia, and I’ll make you train as well. But we can let our banshee start first.”

Lydia looked away, not at anything in particular, and heaved a sigh, showing her indignant mood. She pulled her hair back to throw it into a quick bun and rolled her shoulders back before locking eyes with Cora. She took a step forward and threw out her arm, aiming to punch her target, but was easily deflected by Cora’s arm sweeping in front of herself to protect her face. Next she tried kicking, aiming for the knee, but Cora simply stepped aside and let Lydia’s momentum pull her down to the ground. Her hands flew out in front of her to catch herself, and she rolled over to face Cora.

“Looks like we might need to start from the top,” Cora muttered, shaking her head. “Have you ever had to use your body to defend yourself a day in your life? I know you’ve mastered the sarcasm and verbal threats, and you’re probably great at using your body for pleasure, but you don’t seem to know how to demand a physical presence, much less how to fight.”

“Which is why I came to you,” Lydia bit out, not able to help the slight pout that came to her face. She propped herself up on her elbows and threw her head back. “And Allison. I wanted multiple perspectives to help me learn, and who better than a hunter and a werewolf? So stop with the insults and actually teach me something.”

“Patience, I did say that Allison would have a turn alone first. I want to be able to gauge both of your strengths and weaknesses. And don’t try to say you don’t have any weaknesses princess, that would be the biggest lie yet. Everyone has them, even pretty little know-it-alls. So if you’re done trying to prove yourself, let the big girls play.” Cora didn’t wait for a response before turning to Allison and grinning.

“Time for a real challenge,” Allison muttered, knowing that Cora could hear her but doubting that Lydia could. She’d never sparred with Lydia, but she knew that the girl probably underestimated her own abilities, and she couldn’t help but agree with Cora. Lydia did have the propensity to be a know-it-all, and after feeling embarrassed about not being as sexually vivacious as Lydia when they first met, she was more than happy to demonstrate how strong she could be now. She wasn’t even sure if she was quite the same person as they had been before being introduced to the supernatural world.

Pushing herself off the support beam she’d been leaning on, Allison shrugged off her jacket and threw herself at Cora. She feinted a similar hit to what Lydia had attempted, and when Cora went to block in the same manner as before, Allison landed a minor blow to the wolf’s side, jarring her balance. Cora sidestepped away, surprised, and quickly twisted around to elbow Allison’s face, causing her to jerk her head back and fall to the floor. Before Cora could gloat, Allison swept her leg at Cora’s, dragging her down, but was surprised when she kept her leg hooked with Allison’s. They rolled for a few seconds before Cora grabbed Allison’s waist with her legs, locking her in, and pushing herself up to straddle the huntress. She quickly grabbed Allison’s arms as they swung up to land twin blows on her ears, meant to jar her, and steadied her wrists on the floor, holding her down. They were both panting and smiling, and Cora leaned down until her breath ghosted on Allison’s face.

“Looks like we could both use a little more training,” she said, her voice heavy. Allison didn’t say anything, but kept her eyes locked with Cora’s, trying not to smile.

“Um, sorry to interrupt, but aren’t you two supposed to be training  _me_ here? This isn’t the beginning of a porno, not that you would know that from looking at you two. You might be hot, but you’re very unhelpful,” Lydia interrupted them, her arms crossed. She huffed out a breath as they got up, smirking at each other.

“Alright, well, I think what might work best is if Allison and I sort of tag team train you, seeing as we’re probably on relatively equal footing,” Cora said as she stood, reaching out a hand to help Allison up. She hesitated momentarily, then took the hand, knowing it didn’t mean she was showing weakness. Brushing the dust off of her leggings, she stood beside Cora, putting her hands on her hips as she surveyed Lydia.

“Take a fighting stance,” she said, giving her friend a smile. “Just whatever you think should be done to protect yourself, but also able to defend your body.” She watched as Lydia rolled her neck, trying to figure out how to move herself in an effective manner. She settled on holding her legs stable, slightly bent, and her arms broadly in front of her, hands balled into haphazard fists.

“How’s this?” She asked, genuinely wanting the answer. Seeing Cora and Allison, two girls her age, fight so well made her both envious and shy of her lack of prowess. Cora was right in saying that she only really knew how to defend herself verbally, but until the past year or so it hadn’t been too much of a worry.

“Let’s see how you do,” Allison said, stepping forward and holding her own defensive posture. “Try to hit me, and don’t hold back if you’re worried about hurting me. I’ve been through enough that it would be my pleasure to have you get a hit in.” She gave a small nod to Lydia to signal that it was alright, and smiled again as she knew exactly what would happen.

Lydia swung out more broadly than she had with Cora, pushing off her feet in hopes of gaining some leverage with her height, thinking that a less specific goal could be more successful. She was caught off guard, however, when Allison expertly ducked and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back into her torso. Lydia could feel her breath, barely having risen in intensity, on her neck and behind her as Allison’s chest rose and fell calmly. Meanwhile, Lydia was already a little out of breath from putting so much effort into the swing she’d taken. She let her head fall back on Allison’s shoulder and closed her eyes in frustration.

“This isn’t training me, you guys, it’s just reiterating that I don’t know how to fight.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Cora said, still standing in front of Lydia impassively.

Allison stepped back a little bit, but didn’t release Lydia. Instead, she nudged the redhead’s foot with her own, pushing it a little in front of the other, before placing her hands on Lydia’s hips.

“We’re teaching by example and by hands-on practice. You need to square yourself off when fighting,” she said quietly into Lydia’s ear. “Stagger your feet so that you can better stabilize as you’re moving, and it won’t be as easy for someone to knock you down.” As she talked, she angled Lydia’s hips to form a more balanced position. Her arms snaked up Lydia’s, and she bent her arms into a fighting stance again.

“Hold your arms closer to your body, your hands in front of your face and low enough to protect your face and neck. You were holding them too high before, leaving your upper body open to an easy blow.” She pulled herself close up to Lydia’s back again and gently placed her hands on Lydia’s wrists. “When you make a fist, tightly curl your fingers up and wrap your thumb around your fingers, so that it’s all a confined ball. You’ll do more damage that way than with a loose fist.”

Cora stepped forward, and took a stance mirrored to how Allison had arranged Lydia and moved her arm forward in a slow-motion version of a punch. When her fist came close to Lydia’s face, Allison guided her with her arms, matching the speed of Cora, and swept Lydia’s arm across her field of vision to push Cora’s away. When the werewolf’s other arm came up, Allison again used her own momentum to move Lydia, jamming her arm up to again block Cora.

“Always try to use your opponent’s momentum and speed against them,” Allison said, her mouth beside Lydia’s ear, breath hot against her skin. “Never go into a fight assuming you know exactly what’s going to happen. Instead, know your own abilities and strength, and think of how you can use them to your advantage. And never doubt your instincts, they can be what saves you.” Allison suddenly released Lydia and stepped back, nodding at Cora, who simply smiled at Lydia in response.

Before she knew it was happening, Cora surged forward, full speed this time. Lydia jumped a little, but deflected the first fist Cora threw her way. She was following the same pattern as before, and so Lydia followed the same pattern Allison had guided her through. When she had to take a step back to avoid Cora’s third strike, Lydia decided at the last moment to step to the side, and she used the same blocking move to pull Cora’s arm down, using her forward momentum to knock her to the ground. Cora groaned as she settled into a pile of limbs, having been taken completely off-guard.

“Well done, looks like you’re learning” she commented, and threw her hands behind her head to push herself up as her legs kicked out. When she landed on solid ground again, she softened her knees, angling to fight again as Allison came into Lydia’s field of vision.

“I think we might be ready for real play-time,” Allison said, a dark smile tugging at her lips. She would be lying if she said that she didn’t enjoy fighting. It gave her a thrill, close to that of sex, but different. She was energized by the movements of bodies in a fight, and this training session was turning out to be much more enjoyable and sexy than she’d imagined. Women had a certain beauty when they fought, their bodies moving in an unheard rhythm that men couldn’t obtain.

“I can’t help but agree,” Cora said, baring her teeth in a mixture between a smile and a snarl.

She rushed at Allison again, who was distracted by Lydia’s fists flying at her. She dodged as Cora kicked out, but caught a loose fist thrown her way by Lydia, and stumbled backward. Lydia hesitated, unsure of whether or not Allison was okay, which Cora took as an invitation to start on her.

Before she knew what had happened, Lydia was again on the floor, having been knocked down by Cora’s blow to her head. She was slightly dazed, but didn’t want to give up, so she swept her legs like she saw Allison do earlier. It didn’t quite have the intended result, but Cora had to sidestep to avoid Lydia’s move, which left her open to Allison, whose kick  _did_ land true on her stomach, knocking the wind out of the werewolf. She chuckled, as that was the first time she felt completely challenged all day.

Lydia had made her way back up to standing during the distraction, and as Cora turned back her way, she decided to try something new. Using her legs to push herself up, she came down on Cora from a slightly taller height, her hand open and palm flat, pushing against Cora’s chest. The smack threw her back, and she was on the floor in seconds, not having had enough time to catch herself. Allison raised her eyebrows and smiled at Lydia, surprised, and kept that expression even when Lydia landed a kick to her shoulder as she swung her leg up to reach Allison’s height. The two girls on the floor panted slightly, catching their breath, when the loft door noisily slid open. All of their heads swung that direction, looking to see who it was, until a chuckle sounded out.

“This was not the sight I expected when I returned,” Derek said, a smile on his face. Seeing Lydia Martin standing above two girls who had much more training was a shock, to say the least. Just a year ago, he would’ve discounted her. The most fire she had shown him was calling the cops that night he and his betas were intent on killing her, and she didn’t even know about the supernatural at that point. He beamed with pride, not only for Lydia’s tremendous growth in the short amount of time they’d been true friends, but also for his own sister at being so helpful and willing to teach Lydia, despite their supposed differences.

“Well, I’m a fast learner,” Lydia said in her innocent voice, but she yelped a second later as she felt herself falling back after a leg kicked the back of her knees. When she scrambled back, catching her balance on the ground, she couldn’t tell who it had been that kicked her, given that everyone else was trying not to laugh.

“As quick as you may be, there’s always more to learn,” Derek said.

“Truer words were never spoken, big brother” Cora said, pulling herself up before offering a hand to Lydia. Once the girls were all standing again, Lydia and Allison gave each other small smiles before starting toward the door.

“You two not staying for dinner?” Derek asked as he started pulling vegetables out of the fridge.

“If you’re offering, I’m always up for free food,” Allison said, smiling broadly as she stopped in her tracks and turned back around.

“Never said it was free, I’m going to expect your help in putting my loft back the way it was, plus in cleaning up,” he responded, not looking up from the task at hand.

“Well I’m gonna grab a shower, since I live here and I’d rather feel clean when eating, so enjoy the hard work, everyone!” Cora said as she started up the spiral staircase, giving a little wave to the others. When she was finally out of earshot, Derek stopped what he was doing and walked over to the couch that Lydia and Allison were pulling away from the wall, putting a hand on each of their shoulders and standing in between them.

“Thank you guys for this. I know you’re working on training Lydia to fight better, which I agree is a great thing, but I’m glad for Cora to have some new friends. After Boyd and Erica were killed, she was full of anger and resentment, and Isaac joining Scott’s pack left her even more alone. I’m not sure if she’s ever had  _girl_ friends before either. So thanks, again.” Derek was as awkward as ever, but in regards to his sister, he seemed more genuine. Allison and Lydia looked at each other and smiled before each planting a kiss on either side of Derek’s face.

“Happy to help,” Lydia said in a slight sing-songy voice, and they continued the task at hand as Derek froze, whether in embarrassment or shock it wasn’t clear.


End file.
